Container closure



April 18 CONTAINER CLOSURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 6, 1965 INVENTORS: ELI FRANK ANDERSEN LEROY H. ROHDE BY ATTYS.

2/ 25 FIGS.

April 1967 E. F.'ANDERSEN ET AL 3,314,564

CONTAINER CLOSURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 6, 1965 INVENTORSI ELI FRANK ANDERSEN LEBOY H \ROHDE, 4W

ATTYS.

April 18, 1967 E. F. ANDERSEN ET AL CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed May 6, 1965 5 Sheets-$heet 5 INVENTORSZ FRANK AN DERSEN LEROY H. ROHDE ATTYS.

United States Patent 3,314,564 CONTAINER CLOSURE Eli Frank Andersen, Devon, and Le Roy H. Rohde, Phoenixville, Pa., assignors to The West Company, Phoenixville, Fa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed May 6, 1965, Ser. No. 453,738 16 Claims. ((31. 215-7) The present invention relates to container closures and more particularly to new and useful improvements in tamperproof closures for containers.

In packaging certain commodities in containers, it is desirable and essential that the contents be vacuum sealed until the contents are removed for use for the reason that if the seal is once broken and rescaled, the contents are spoiled or contaminated. For example, some pharmaceuticals and vacuum-packed foods, such as baby foods, must be tightly sealed in a container by means of a closure that may not be readily removed and replaced without some evidence of the container having 'been opened once. It is in these applications that so-called tamper-proof closures are used.

Some of these closures comprise a cap portion of generally cup-like form and a retaining ring which depends from the cylindrical side wall of the cap and is connected thereto by fracturable bridge members. The side wall of the cap portion of this closure is adapted to be deformed to engage screw threads on a bottle or the like to seat a resilient sealing element inside the cap portion against the top rim of the bottle. In some forms of the closure, the retaining ring engages under an annular bead on the exterior of the bottle. By this arrangement when the cap portion is turned to remove it from the bottle, the bridges fracture and the cap portion is severed from the retaining ring. Thus, if the cap portion is replaced, the severed bridges give an indication that the seal has been broken. In this type of closure, the bridge members usually fracture sequentially as the cap portion is turned to remove it from the container and this is desirable since a minimum torque is required to remove the cap. However, one of the disadvantages of this closure is the fact that the cap portion and retaining ring may be turned relative to the container a predetermined angular increment before the bridges start to sever. In some instances, this slight turning is sufficient to break the seal between the sealing element and the top rim of the container which, if the contents are not used within a reasonable time, might result in contamination of the contents of the container. Thus it is readily apparent that in these closures the bridges might be intact and still the desired sealing relationship between the closure and container may have been broken. Thus, it may be realized that this type of closure does not provide a positive visual indication in all cases that the seal might not have been disturbed and thus the user is in doubt as to the condition of the contents.

In still another form of prior so-called tamper-proof closure, the retaining ring is provided with a plurality of circumferenetially spaced, axially extending grooves which engage over a plurality of circumferentially spaced, axially extending ribs disposed below the locking threads on the neck of a container such as a bottle. However, it has been found that the interengagement of the grooves on the ribs is a loose fit and since the ribs are relatively shallow, the retaining ring which is relatively flexible may be ratcheted or turned relative to the bottle, which, as noted above, may result in breaking the seal between the container and closure prior to fracture of the bridges. In other words, there is a danger in this type of closure that the seal might be broken and no visual indication of this is presented to the user. Another disadvantage of this type of closure is the fact that all of the bridges break 3,314,564 Patented Apr. 18, 1967 simultaneously and accordingly, a greater torque is required to remove the cap than in the type of closure discussed above. This can present a problem in larger size caps, especially where the items are vacuum-packed in a container for the reason that the force necessary to remove the cap is one that will overcome the resistance of all the bridges and also the vacuum force holding the top of the cap onto the container.

With the foregoing in mind, an object of the present invention is to provide a combination closure and container which is truly tamperproof and which incorporates novel features of construction and arrangement so that even if the closure is turned relative to the container without breaking the fracturable bridges, there is a visual indication that the closure has been tampered with and that the seal between the closure and container might be broken.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tamper-proof closure-container combination which is of relatively simplified construction and is easy and eco nomical to assemble.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention and the various details of the construction and arrangement thereof are hereinafter more fully described and set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a tamper-proof closure and container in accordance with the present invention with a portion of the closure removed to illustrate more clearly the details of construction;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on lines 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the closure of the present invention positioned over the neck of a container;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the closure secured to the thread of the container;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are enlarged fraggmentary sectional views showing various positions of the ring of the closure relative to the finish on the container;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view partly in section of a modified form of the container shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View showing a tapered sealing element;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of tamper-proof closure and container in accordance with the present invention partly in section to show the details of the construction thereof;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on lines 1010 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the closure-container combination shown in FIG. 9 with the closure turned slightly relative to the container.

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view partly in section of a third embodiment of tamper-proof closure and container in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view of the container shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in section of the tamper-proof closure and container shown in FIG. 12 with the closure rotated slightly with respect to the container;

FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 14 with the closure turned even further relative to the container;

FIG. 16 is a side elevational view partly in section of a fourth embodiment of tamper-proof closure and container in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a view similar to FIG. 16 with the closure turned slightly relative to the container;

FIG. 18 is a sectional view of a two-piece tamper-proof closure prior to application to a container;

FIG. 19 is a side elevational view partly in section of the two-piece closure of FIG. 18 applied to a container;

FIG. 20 is a side elevational view partly in section showing the two-piece closure applied to another form of container similar to that shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 21 is a side elevational view partly in section of the two-piece closure applied to a container similar to that shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 22 is a side elevational view partly in section of the two-piece closure applied to a container similar to that shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 23 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in section of another embodiment of container-closure in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 24 is a side elevational view partly in section of a container-closure combination similar to that shown in FIG. 23, except that the closure is of two-piece construction.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. l-6 thereof, there is shown a tamper-proof closure and container combination in accordance with the present invention. The container may be a bottle or the like having a reduced neck portion 14 with a spiral thread 16 or other similar means formed thereon. An annular outwardly projecting bead 18 is formed on the neck of the bottle below the threaded portion 16, the bead 18 defining a circumferentially extending shoulder 20 at its lower end.

The tamper-proof closure 12 is of generally cup-like form and is adapted to be positioned over the open end of the bottle to close the same. The closure 12 comprises a cap portion 21 consisting of a disc-like top 22 having a dished, downwardly depending central portion 24 defining an annular recess 26 to receive a resilient sealing element 28 which engages the top rim 29 of the bottle when applied thereto. The cap portion further includes a generally cylindrical side wall 31 depending from the outer peripheral edge of the top 22 which overlies the thread 16 on the bottle. An annular retaining ring 30 depends from the side wall 31 being connected thereto by a plurality of circumferentially spaced fracturable bridge members 32.

In assembling the closure member 12 to the bottle 10, the closure member is positioned over the neck of the bottle so that the sealing element 28 abuts the rim of the neck and the side wall 31 overlies the thread 16 and the retaining ring confronts the annular bead on the neck as shown in FIG. 3. force is then applied to the side wall 31 of the cap portion 21 of the closure member distorting the material in the closure and forming a spiral thread 34 in the side wall 31 conforming to the spiral thread 16 on the neck of the bottle as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The lower terminal edge of the retaining ring is then spun or crimped under the annular shoulder 29 formed by the head 18. Now, when it is desired to remove the closure member from the bottle, the cap portion 21 is rotated in a direction to unscrew the cap thereby fracturing the bridge connections 32. It is noted that in this operation the retaining ring 30 is held in place on the bottle due to engagement thereof under the shoulder 20.

In prior types of tamper-proof closures, it has been found that the cap portion and retaining ring may be turned slightly as a unit relative to the bottle prior to the bridge members fracturing. This is an undesirable condition for the reason that slight turning of the cap portion may break the seal between the resilient element and top rim of the bottle with the result that if the container is not opened and the contents used within a reasonable time, the contents may become contaminated, there being no visual indication that the seal has been broken. In accordance with the present invention, this condition is obviated. To this end in accordance with the embodiment shown in FIGS. l-6 inclusive, the shoul- A compressive radial U der of the annular bead 18 is provided with, in the present instance, a plurality of arcuate indentations 36 forming retention means which as illustrated, are circumferentially equispaced apart. By this arrangement, as the retaining ring 30 is rolled over the annular bead 18, the lower edge of the retaining ring is deformed at circumferentially spaced locations into the arcuate indentations 36 to define a plurality of inwardly projecting protrusions 38' conforming in shape to the indentations 36. The engagement of the protrusions 38 in the intations 36 serves as a locking means to resist turning of the retaining ring 30 relative to the bottle. However, since the closure is normally made of a thin gauge deformable metal such as aluminum it may be possible to turn the retaining ring relative to the bottle without fracturing the bridge members 32. However, if the cap portion and retaining ring 30 are rotated relative to the bottle a distance equal to the are or circumferential extent of the indentations 36, the lower edge of the retaining ring 30 is flattened out as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. By this arrangement, if the bridge members 32 do not fracture and the retaining ring 30 is rotated relative to the bottle, there is a visual indication that the retaining ring and cap portion have been rotated relative to the container and the seal might have been broken. The user is thus alerted that the contents of the bottle may be contaminated.

There is illustrated in FIG. 7 a modified form of the tamper-proof closure and container shown in FIGS. 16. This arrangement is identical in construction to that described previously, the closure 40 being of cuplike form comprising a cap portion including a top 41 and a side wall 42 having a helical thread 43 conforming to a helical thread 44 on the bottle 45 and a depending annular retaining ring 46 connected to the side wall of the cap portion by fracturable bridge members 47. In the present instance however the annular bead 48 of the bottle has a tapered outer surface which converges upwardly. By this arrangement, as the closure is rolled onto the bottle, there is less of a tendency to stretch the lower terminal end of the closure and less danger of fracturing the bridge members during this operation. In operation, however, this combination closure and container operates in exactly the same manner as that described previously.

FIG. 8 shows a fragmentary portion of a closure similar to the previously described closures except that the resilient sealing element 49 has a curved surface which engages the top rim of the bottle.

There is illustrated in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 a second embodiment of tamper-proof closure and container in accordance with the present invention. The general configuration of the closure and container are similar to that described above, the closure 50 being of generally cuplike form including a cap portion having a disc-like top 52, a side wall 54 depending from the top which is formed with a helical thread 56 conforming to a helical thread 58 on the bottle and a retaining ring 60 connected to the lower end of the cap portion by a plurality of circumferentially spaced, fracturable bridge members 62. The bottle 63, as illustrated, includes the helical locking threads 58 and an annular radially outwardly projecting rib 64 below the threads defining a shoulder 66 at the lower end thereof.

In the present instance the bottle 63 is formed with a plurality of circumferentially spaced teat-like projections 70 depending from the shoulder 66. In the present instance there are five equispaced projections 70. Accordingly, when the closure is rolled onto the bottle, the lower terminal end of the retaining ring 60 engages under the shoulder 66 for the major portion thereof and at the teat-like projections 70 there is formed in the turned under portion of the retaining ring 60 a plurality of pockets 72 covering and conforming to the shape ofthe projections 70. By this arrangement the projections 71},-

and pockets 72 cooperate to resist turning of the retaining ring 60 relative to the bottle upon turning of the cap portion to remove it. However, should the retaining ring 60 rotate prior to fracturing of the bridge members 62, the pockets 72 in the lower terminal edge of the retaining ring will be deformed as illustrated in FIG. 11 and if the ring is turned through an angle equal to the spacing between the projections 70, the entire lower terminal edge of the ring will be deformed and appear uniform or straight for its entire circumference. This, of course, will provide a visual indication that the cap portion and retaining ring have been turned and that the seal between the sealing elements 69 and top rim 71 of the bottle might have been broken.

Still a third embodiment of tamper-proof closure and container in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 12-15 inclusive which is of generally the same construction as the previously described embodiments. Thus, the closure 73, which is of cup-like form, comprises a cap portion 74 having a disc-like top 75, a side wall 76 depending from the top and a retaining ring 78 connected to the side wall by a plurality of circum-ferentially spaced fracturable bridge members 80.

The neck of the bottle 77 is formed with a helical thread 82 and an annular outwardly projecting annular bead 84 below the thread 82. The side Wall of the cap portion has a helical thread 86 conforming to the thread 82 on the bottle so that the cap portion may be turned to remove it from the bottle. In the present instance, the lower shoulder of the bead 84 is formed with an undulating surface 86 so that when the closure is applied to the bottle, the lower terminal edge of the retaining ring 78 conforms to the undulating surface 86 and presents a scalloped appearance. As illustrated, the undulating surface 86 comprises a plurality of flattened V-shaped projections 87 and likewise the turned under lower edge of the retaining ring 78 comprises a plurality of flattened -shaped projections. By this arrangement the turned under edge of the retaining ring and the scalloped or undualting surface 86 of the bead serve to resist turning of the retaining ring when it is desired to remove the cap portion. However, should the retaining ring rotate relative to the bottle when the cap portion is turned to remove it prior to the fracturing of bridge means 80, and if the retaining ring is rotated relative to the bottle an angular distance equal to the distance D between the crown 9'1 and throat 93 of the V-shaped projections 87, the under-turned lower edge of the retaining ring will deform so that it is straight about its circumference as illustrated in FIGS. 14 and thereby providing a visual indication that the ring has been turned and that the seal between the sealing element 93 and top rim 95 of the bottle might have been broken. Thus, the closure is truly tamperproof.

Still a further embodiment of container-closure in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17 which is generally similar to the embodiment illustrated in connection with FIGS. 12- 15. Thus, the closure 90 which is of generally cup-like form includes a disc-like top 94, a side wall 96 depending from the top and a retaining ring 98 connected to the side wall by a plurality of circumferentially spaced fracturable bridge members 100. The side wall 96 of the cap portion and bottle 99 have cooperating helical threads 102 and 106 respectively whereby the cap portion may be turned relative to the container to remove it when it is desired to use the contents of the container.

In the present instance, the lower shoulder of the bead 107 on the bottle is formed with an undulating surface 108 and the lower edge of the retaining ring 98 conforms to the undulating surface 108 to present in the assembled relation of the bottle and closure a scalloped appearance. In the present instance the shoulder of the bead 107 is a saw tooth configuration wherein the short leg 109 of each tooth extends generally axially and is generally perperdicular to the long leg 111 of the tooth.

In the assembled relation, the lower rolled under edge of the retaining ring has a similar configuration. By this arrangement, the retaining ring resists turning when the cap portion is turned to remove it from the container; However, should the retaining ring turn prior to fracturing of the bridge members 100, the lower edge of the retaining ring will deform in the manner shown in FIG. 17 and the lower edge will be straight, that is continuous for its entire periphery when it is turned an angular distance D equal to the distance between adjacent peaks of the saw teeth on the head of the bottle. This presents a visual indication that the seal between the sealing element 113 and top rim 115 of the bottle .might have been broken and thus the assembly is truly tamper-proof.

Further embodiments of tamper-proof closures and containers in accordance with the present invention are illustrated in FIGS. 19, 20, 21, and 2 2 which bear a similaity to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1, 9, 12 and 16 respectively, except that in the present instance the closure is a two-piece construction.

Considering now the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 18, the container illustrated is a bottle or jar having a reduced neck portion 122 with a helical. locking thread 124 on its outer peripheral surface, and a circumferentially extending annular shoulder 126 below the locking thread. The closure member 126 is best illustrated in FIG. 18 and comprises a cap portion .127 including a central disc member 128 having a dished central portion forming an annular recess 129 for a resilient sealing member 130. The cap portion 127 further includes a cylindrical side wall 132 having an annular inwardly directed bead 134 and a radially inwardly projecting rim 136 spaced upwardly from the bead 134, the bead 134 and rim 136 defining a pocket for retaining the top 128 in the position shown. A retaining ring 138 depends from the side wall 132 and is connected thereto by fracturable bridge members 140. This closure is applied to the bottle by placing it over the open end of the bottle whereby the resilient sealing element seats against the top rim 141 of the bottle and thereafter the side wall 132 is compressed radially to form a helical thread 143 conforming to the helical thread 124 on the bottle. The retaining ring 138 then is crimped under the annular shoulder 126.

In the present instance a plurality of arcuate indentations 142 is formed in the shoulder 126 at equispaced, circumferentially separated points. Thus, when the retaining ring 138 is crimped under the shoulder, the retaining ring 138 is deformed at the indentations 142 to define a plurality of inwardly projecting protrusions 143 conforming in shape to the indentations 142.

This type of two-piece closure is usually applied on large-mouth containers used for packaging baby foods, for example. In assembling these closures to the containers, the closure is usually applied in the manner described above and then the closed container is put into an autoclave. During the autoclaving operation, a vacuum is created inside of the container which draws the top 128 tightly against the upper edge of the container and in some instances results in a loose fit between the top and the pocket on the side wall of the closure. Thus, prior to the present invention, it was possible to turn the closure slightly without fracturing the bridges before the rim 136 engaged the top to break the seal. This loose fitting arrangement gave users the impression that the closure had not been properly sealed. However, with the present arrangement, due to the interengagement of the indentations 142 and protrusions 143, rotation of the closure relative to the container is resisted and even if it is turned a small amount and the bridge members do not fracture, the lower edge of the retaining ring deforms in the manner described in connection with. FIG. 1 thereby giving a visual indication that the closure has been I turned and that the seal between the sealing element 130 and top edge of the container might have been broken.

The tamper-proof closure and container combination shown in FIG. 20 is similar to that shown in FIG. 9 except for the fact that the closure is of two-piece construction, as illustrated in FIG. 18. Thus, the container such as a bottle or jar 159 has a helical thread 154 and an annular shoulder 156 below the thread. The closure which as noted is two piece comprises a cap portion 157 including a top 158 and an outer shell 160 having a side wall 162 with a helical thread 161 conforming to the thread 154 on the container. The upper end of the side Wall 162 terminates in a radially inwardly projecting rim 163 and an annular bead 165 is spaced downwardly from the rim'163 to provide a pocket within which the top 158 seats. A retaining ring 168 which is crimped under the shoulder 156 on the bottle 159 depends from the side Wall 162 and is connected thereto by fracturable bridges 169. In the present instance, the shoulder 156 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced teat like projections 172 so that when the closure is assembled to the bottle, there is formed in the turned under portion of the retaining ring 168 a plurality of pockets 176 closely overlying the projections 172, conforming in shape to the projections. By this arrangement the retaining ring is normally retained against rotation relative to the container. However, if the retaining ring 168 is rotated before the bridge members break, the retaining ring deforms and when displaced a distance equal to the distance between adjacent projections 172, the lower edge of the retaining ring becomes uniform around its circumference thereby giving visual indication that the closure has been turned and that the seal might have been broken.

The tamper-proof closure and container combination shown in FIG. 21 is similar to that shown in FIG. 12 except that the closure is of two-piece construction. Thus, the container, such as a bottle or jar 186 has a helical thread 182 and an annular shoulder 184 below the helical thread. The two-piece closure comprises a cap portion 186 including a top 188 and an outer shell 190 having a side wall 192 with a helical thread 194 conforming to the thread 182 on the container. The side wall terminates at its upper end in a radially inwardly projecting rim 194 and an annular bead 196 is spaced downwardly from the rim 194 to provide a pocket within which the top 188 seats. A retaining ring 198 which is crimped under the shoulder 184 depends from the side wall 191 and is connected thereto by fracturable bridge members 2190.

In the present instance, the shoulder 184 is formed with an undulating surface comprised of a plurality of flattened V-shaped projections 202 and likewise the turned under edge of the retaining ring 198 has a plurality of flattened V-shaped projections 2% formed when the retaining ring is rolled over the V-shaped projections on the shoulder of the bottle. By this arrangement there is a resistance to turning of the closure relative to the bottle due to the interengaging V-shaped projections of the closure and bottle. However, if the retaining ring is rotated an angular distance equal to the distance between the crown 203 and throat 205 of the V-shaped projections on the bottle, the under turned lower edge of the retaining ring will deform so that it is straight about its circumference thereby providing a visual indication that the closure has been turned and that the seal provided between the sealing element 206 and the top rim 208 of the bottle might have been broken.

The tamper-proof closure and container combination shown in FIG. 22 is similar to that shown in FIG. 17 except that the closure is two piece. The container 210 has an external helical thread 212 on the neck portion and an annular shoulder 214 below the thread. The closure includes a top 216, an outer shell 213 having a side wall 220 with a radial rim 222 and an annular inwardly directed bead 224 defining a pocket for the top 216. The side wall has a helical thread 226 conforming to the helical thread on the bottle to facilitate removal of the closure. A retaining ring 230 depends from the side wall 220 being connected thereto by fracturable bridge members 232.

In the present instance the shoulder 214 is a saw tooth configuration wherein the short leg 234 of each tooth extends generally axially and is approximately perpendicular to the long leg 236 of the tooth. Thus, as the lower edge of the retaining ring 230 is rolled over the shoulder 214, the turned under edge of the retaining ring has an annular saw tooth configuration.

FIGS. 23 and 24 show similar embodiments of tamperproof closure and container combination in accordance with the present invention, except that the closure shown in FIG. 24 is two piece and the closure shown in FIG. 23 is one piece. Referring now to the combination shown in FIG. 23, the side wall 250 of the cap portion of the closure has a helical thread 252 which conforms to a helical thread 254 on the neck of the bottle. A retain ing ring 256 depends from the side wall 250 and is connected thereto by f-racturable bridges 258. The retaining ring 256 is adapted to be crimped over a radially outwardly projecting bead 260 below the thread 254.

In the present instance a pair of diametrically opposed saw teeth cutouts 262 are provided in the lower shoulder of the bead 260, the saw teeth facing in opposite directions. By this arrangement if the retaining ring 256 is rotated in one direction, the short leg on the retaining ring and shoulder of one of the teeth are moved into pressureapplying relation, and if the retaining ring is rotated in the opposite direction, the short leg of the one saw tooth and the short leg and shoulder of the opposite tooth are moved into pressure-applying relationship.

Considering now the closure-container combination shown in FIG. 24, the top 270 of the cap seats in a rim 272 and bead 274 of the outer shell, the outer shell having a side wall 276 with a helical thread cooperating with a helical thread on the neck of the container 280. The retaining ring 282 connected to the side wall by projections 284 is turned under a shoulder 286 below the thread on the bottle. This shoulder 286 has diametrically opposed oppositely facing saw tooth cutouts 288 similar to the arrangement described above. The retaining ring 282 likewise has diametrically opposed oppositely facing saw tooth configuration by reason of the fact that it is rolled on to the bottle in the manner described above.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not intended to limit the invention to such disclosure and changes and modifications may be made herein within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In combination, a container and a closure member adapted to be removably secured to the container, said container having an open ended neck portion with at least one external spiral thread portion thereon and means defining an annular radial projection below the thread portion defining a downwardly facing shoulder generally transverse to the neck portion, said closure member comprising a cap portion of generally cup-like form consisting of a disc-like top overlying the open end of the container, a generally cylindrical side wall depending from the outer peripheral edge of the top having a spiral thread conforming to the shape of the spiral thread portion on the container neck, an annular retaining ring depending from the lower edge of the side wall and connected thereto by fracturable bridge means, the lower lip of said retaining ring engaging over said annular shoulder, said shoulder having an irregular configuration and said lip conforming to the shoulder configuration to provide cooperating retaining means on the lower lip of the retaining ring and shoulder providing a resistance to relative turning of said retaining ring and container, said lower lip of the retaining ring being deformed to a continuous circular configuration if said retaining ring is rotated relative to said container to provide a visual indication that the retaining ring has been turned.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cooperating retaining means comprises a plurality of 'arcuate indentations in said shoulder and a plurality of inwardly projecting protrusions on the lower lip of said retaining ring overlying and conforming in shape to the indentations in said shoulder.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 2. wherein the indentations are circumferentially eq-uispaced apart on said shoulder.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cooperating retaining means comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced teat-like projections depending from said shoulder and a plurality of pockets in the lower edge of the retaining ring overlying and conforming in shape to said teat-like projections.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cooperating retaining means is defined by a plurality of saw toothed cutouts in the shoulder and wherein said lower lip of the retaining ring engages over said shoulder and conforms in shape to said saw toothed cutouts.

6. In combination, a container and a closure member adapted to be removably secured to the container, said container having an open ended neck portion with at least one external spiral thread portion thereon and means de fining an annular outwardly projecting bead below the thread portion terminating at its lower edge in a radial downwardly facing shoulder generally transverse to the neck portion, said closure member comprising a cap portion of generally cup-like form consisting of a disc-like top overlying the open end of the container, a generally cylindrical side wall depending from the outer peripheral edge of the top having a spiral thread conforming to the shape of the spiral thread portion on the container neck, an annular retaining ring depending from the lower edge of the side wall and connected thereto by fracturable bridge means, the lower inturned lip of said retaining ring engaging over the annular shoulder, said shoulder having an irregular configuration and said lip conforming to the shoulder configuration to provide cooperating retaining means on the lower lip of the retaining ring and shoulder providing a resistance to relative turning of said retaining ring and container, said lower lip of the retaining ring being deformed to a continuous circular configuration if said retaining ring is rotated relative to said container to provide a visual indication that the retaining ring has been turned.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 wherein the side wall of said bead is of frusto conical shape.

8. In combination, a container and a closure member adapted to be removably secured to the container, said container having an open ended neck portion with at least one external spiral thread portion thereon and means defining an annular radial projection below the thread portion defining a downwardly facing shoulder generally transverse to the neck portion, said closure member being of two piece construction and comprising a cap portion of generally cup-like form consisting of a disc-like top overlying the open end of the container, an outer shell having a generally cylindrical side wall with a spiral thread conforming to the shape of the spiral thread portion on the container neck, an annular retaining ring depending from the lower edge of the side wall and connected thereto by fracturable bridge means, the upper edge of said side wall terminating in an inwardly projecting rim, an annular inwardly projecting bead spaced below said rim and defining therewith a pocket within which the top seats, the lower inturned lip of said retaining ring engaging over the annular shoulder, said shoulder having an irregular configuration and said lip conforming to the shoulder configuration to provide cooperating retaining means on the lower lip of the retaining ring and shoulder providing a resistance to relative turning of said retaining It) ring and container, said lower lip of the retaining ring being deformed to a continuous circular configuration if said retaining ring is rotated relative to said container to provide a visual indication that the retaining ring has been turned.

9. The combination .as claimed in claim 8 wherein the cooperating retaining means comprises a plurality of arcuate indentations in said shoulder and a plurality of inwardly projecting protrusions on the lower lip of said retaining ring overlying and conforming in shape to the indentations in said shoulder.

10. The combination as claimed in claim 9 wherein the indentations are circumferentially equispaced apart on said shoulder.

11. The combination as claimed in claim 8 wherein said cooperating retaining means comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced teat-like projections depending from said shoulder and a plurality of pockets in the lower lip of the retaining ring overlying and conforming in shape to said teat-like projections.

12. The combination as claimed in claim 8 wherein the cooperating retaining means is defined by a plurality of saw toothed cutouts in the shoulder and wherein said lower lip of the retaining ring engages over said shoulder and conforms in shape to said saw toothed cutouts.

'13. In combination, a container and a closure member adapted to be removably secured to the container, said container having an open ended neck portion with at least one external spiral thread portion thereon and means defining an annular radially projecting shoulder below the thread portion, said closure member comprising a cap portion of generally cup-like form consisting of a disc-like top overlying the open end of the container, 21 generally cylindrical sidewall depending from the outer peripheral edge of the top having a spiral thread conforming to the shape of the spiral thread portion on the container neck, an annular retaining ring depending from the lower edge of the sidewall and connected thereto by fractu-rable bridge means, the lower inturned lip of said retaining ring engaging over said annular shoulder, cooperating retaining means on the lower lip of the retaining ring and shoulder providing a resistance to relative turning of said retaining ring and container, said cooperating retaining means being defined by an undulating surface on said shoulder comprised of a plurality of flat V- shaped projections and the lower inturned lip of the retaining ring also being undulated overlying and conforming in shape to the flat V-projections on said shoulder, said lower lip of the retaining ring being deformed to a continuous circular configuration if said retaining ring is rotated relative to said container to provide a visual indication that the retaining ring has been turned.

14. In combination, a container and a closure member adapted to be removably secured to the container, said container having an open ended neck portion with at least one external spiral thread portion thereon and means defining an annular radially projecting shoulder below the thread portion, said closure member being of two piece construction and comprising a cap portion of generally cup-like form consisting of a disc-like top overlying the open end of the container, an outer shell having a generally cylindrical sidewall with a spiral thread conforming to the shape of the spiral thread portion on the container neck, an annular retaining ring depending from the lower edge of the sidewall and connected thereto by fracturable bridge means, the upper edge of said sidewall terminating in an inwardly projecting rim, an annular inwardly projecting bead spaced below said rim and defining therewith a pocket within which the top seats, the lower inturned lip of said retaining ring engaging over the annular shoulder, cooperating retaining means on the lower lip of the retaining ring and shoulder providing a resistance to relative turning of said retaining ring and container, said cooperating retaining means being defined by an undulating surface on said shoulder comprised of a plurality of fiat V-shaped projections and the lower inturned lip of the retaining ring also being undulated overlying and conforming in shape to the fiat V-projections on said shoulder, said lower lip of the retaining ring being deformed to a continuous circular configuration if said retaining ring is rotated relative to said container to provide a visual indication that the retaining ring has been turned.

15. In combination, a container and a closure member adapted to be removably secured to the container, said container having an open ended neck portion with at least one external spiral thread portion thereon and means defining an annular radially projecting shoulder below the thread portion, said closure member comprising a cap portion of generally cup-like form consisting of a disclike top overlying the open end of the container, a generally cylindrical sidewall depending from the outer peripheral edge of the top having a spiral thread conforming to the shape of the spiral thread portion on the container neck, an annular retaining ring depending from the lower edge of the sidewall and connected thereto by fracturable bridge means, the lower inturned lip of said retaining ring engaging over said annular shoulder, cooperating retaining means on the lower lip of the retaining ring and shoulder providing a resistance to relative turning of said retaining ring and container, said cooperating retaining means comprising a pair of diametrically opposed sawteeth cutouts in said shoulder which face in opposite directions, the inturned lower lip of the retaining ring conforming in shape to the diametrically opposed saw-tooth cutouts in said shoulder, said lower lip of the retaining ring being deformed to a continuous circular configuration if said retaining ring is rotated relative to said container to provide a visual indication that the retaining ring has been turned.

16. In combination, a container and a closure member adapted to be removably secured to the container, said container having an open ended neck portion with at least one external spiral thread portion thereon and means defining an annular radially projecting shoulder below the thread portion, said closure being of two piece construction and comprising a cap portion of generally cuplike form consisting of a disc-like top overlying the open end of the container, an outer shell having a generally cylindrical side wall with a spiral thread conforming to the shape of the spiral thread portion on the container neck, an annular retaining ring depending from the lower edge of the side wall and connected thereto by fracturable bridge means, the upper edge of said side Wall terminating in an inwardly projecting rim, an annular inwardly projecting bead spaced below said rim and defining therewith a pocket within which the top seats, the lower inturned lip of said retaining ring engaging over the annular shoulder, cooperating retaining means on the lower lip of the retaining ring and shoulder providing a resistance to relative turning of said retaining ring and container, said cooperating retaining means comprising a pair of diametrically opposed saw-teeth cutouts in said shoulder which face in opposite directions, the inturned lower lip of the retaining ring being deformed to a continuous circular configuration if said retaining ring is rotated relative to said container to provide a visual indication that the retaining ring has ben turned.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,158,278 11/1964 Knapp et al. 2l542 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,004,009 11/195'1 France.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner.

D. F. NORTON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A CONTAINER AND A CLOSURE MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE REMOVABLY SECURED TO THE CONTAINER, SAID CONTAINER HAVING AN OPEN ENDED NECK PORTION WITH AT LEAST ONE EXTERNAL SPIRAL THREAD PORTION THEREON AND MEANS DEFINING AN ANNULAR RADIAL PROJECTION BELOW THE THREAD PORTION DEFINING A DOWNWARDLY FACING SHOULDER GENERALLY TRANSVERSE TO THE NECK PORTION, SAID CLOSURE MEMBER COMPRISING A CAP PORTION OF GENERALLY CUP-LIKE FORM CONSISTING OF A DISC-LIKE TOP OVERLYING THE OPEN END OF THE CONTAINER, A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL SIDE WALL DEPENDING FROM THE OUTER PERIPHERAL EDGE OF THE TOP HAVING A SPIRAL THREAD CONFORMING TO THE SHAPE OF THE SPIRAL THREAD PORTION ON THE CONTAINER NECK, AN ANNULAR RETAINING RING DEPENDING FROM THE LOWER EDGE OF THE SIDE WALL AND CON- 